Susquenita confirms first H1N1 virus case

The H1N1 virus has hit the Susquenita School District, and "flu-like symptoms' have caused absentee rates to increase.

At the school board's Oct. 12 meeting, Superintendent Dr. Dan Sheats said the student with H1N1 returned to school the day before it was confirmed.

"We do have flu in the district. It's nothing to be panicked about," Sheats said.

Parents were notified about the diagnosis through a letter sent Oct. 9. Susquenita is the first school district in the county with a confirmed case of the virus.

Sheats said administrators began to notice absentee rates climb two weeks ago. When parents were called to see why the children were not in school, at least three said their children had swine flu, but that the determination was self-diagnosed, Sheats said.

On Sept. 28, 116 students were absent from the district's three schools. The middle school had the most students absent.

Rates peaked on Oct. 5, when 266 students were absent. That same day, the elementary school became the leading absentee school.

Sheats said it's possible that the school may have had or might have more cases of swine flu, but that the Oct. 9 case is the only one that can be confirmed. The superintendent told the board that the administration is working with state and local health officials.

"We take this very seriously and we're monitoring it closely," Sheats said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the H1N1 virus — also called swine flu — was first detected in the United States in April. An H1N1 pandemic was announced by the World Health Organization on June 11.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. According to the CDC, severe illnesses and deaths have occurred as a result of the virus.